UK visa agency slammed for lapses in IT security after outsourcing work

Government agency UKvisas failed to put in place adequate controls when outsourcing work to private firms, risking the security of personal data, an official investigation has found.

The report by UKvisas watchdog Linda Costelloe Baker slammed the outsourcing of the UK visa application website to VFS – a firm that was not an IT specialist – along with the poor performance of the firm and the failure to respond adequately when a security breach was first revealed in December 2005.

Costelloe Baker said: “Outsourcing may relieve practical burdens, but headquarter functions and abilities need to be expanded accordingly to handle the increased levels of risk. I am not satisfied that UKvisas exercised adequate governance over the outsourcing process in so far as the security of personal data was concerned.”

Immigration expert Liam Clifford told Personnel Today in July that he was “extremely concerned” that removing government employees from the application process would be “a huge security risk for the public”.